Nonprofits and AI: Opportunities and Ethical Implications

In just two years, artificial intelligence has rapidly emerged as a transformative force in the nonprofit sector. As the demands of organizations grow amid an increasingly unpredictable landscape, the number of staff remains limited, forcing many to find new ways to work smarter, not harder.

Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini present both a challenge and an opportunity to respond to this heightened pressure. If implemented thoughtfully and ethically, AI can help streamline operations, enhance donor engagement, and increase impact. Using AI strategically can allow nonprofit professionals to refocus their energy on mission-critical work while automating time-consuming, repetitive tasks.

There are three core ways that AI can be integrated into nonprofit operations. 

SEO OptimizatioN

The first is through SEO optimization, where you can work with AI to improve page descriptions. An AI tool can scan your existing web pages, uncover popular keywords and write richer page descriptions that improve search rankings.

An example of this can look like a nonprofit training its AI model on keywords that best describe a blog post or impact report they are publishing. AI can also generate titles that perform well on search engines.

 

Content Creation

The second key application is content creation. With AI tools like ChatGPT, nonprofits can produce consistent, effective content across multiple platforms.

For example, you can draft email campaigns, write blog posts, generate social-media captions or pull together newsletters and impact reports. A nonprofit could also have a faster turnaround time with their impact report by giving information to the AI tool about their goals and objectives and have it generate an outline.

These tools can save time and help you keep messaging on-brand and reader-friendly. AI can also make it easy to scale your content efforts by generating an outline or defining clear objectives for a report. You can increase your output without sacrificing quality. 

To ensure each piece still sounds authentically yours, plan for ongoing collaboration between your team and the AI: refine your prompts, review drafts carefully and coach the model to capture your organization’s unique voice.

 

Automation

Finally, AI can support operational efficiency by automating routine administrative tasks. Google’s “Time Back” initiative illustrates the potential of AI to manage scheduling, draft emails, and organize data. These capabilities can dramatically reduce the hours spent on manual work, freeing up time for more strategic, creative, and relational efforts. 

To help nonprofits get started, Asibey Consulting recommends several accessible tools:

  • DonorSearch AI for fundraising analytics

  • Google Workspace AI for workflow automation

  • ChatGPT for content creation and strategy support

Importantly, OpenAI offers free or discounted access to its GPT-4 models for qualifying nonprofit organizations, which can significantly lower the barrier to entry.

 
 

Risk and Considerations

Despite the promise AI holds, it is essential to proceed with caution. Nonprofits must remain aware of the risks and ethical concerns associated with AI use. These include:

  • Algorithmic bias that can reinforce structural inequalities;

  • Privacy and data security issues, particularly with sensitive donor or beneficiary data; 

  • Environmental impacts, seeing as though AI models can increase carbon dioxide emissions and strained electric grids and water supplies;

  • And the potential for overreliance on automation that may erode the nuance of human judgment and voice.

 

Conclusion

As a final recommendation, nonprofits should begin with a needs assessment. This involves identifying which processes could benefit most from automation, selecting manageable pilot projects such as donor outreach or scheduling, and leveraging accessible tools to reduce upfront costs. Building organizational capacity through training and regular review will ensure that AI use remains aligned with the organization’s goals.

AI is not a silver bullet, but it can be a strategic ally. When applied thoughtfully, it enables nonprofits to do more with less, not by replacing people, but by freeing them to focus on the work that matters most.

This article was written by Nhi Nguyen, a 2025 Stanford University Cardinal Fellow. For more insight on topics ranging from social media strategy to Asibey’s consulting work, follow our LinkedIn page.

Edith Asibey